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Dark Forest Theory
Defeatism is the belief that humans cannot possibly win the war against the Trisolarans. People most often hold this belief because they think that human technology will be no match for the more advanced Trisolaran technology.
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Defeatism Term Timeline in The Dark Forest
The timeline below shows where the term Defeatism appears in The Dark Forest. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Pages 61-79
...has been depressed since joining the space force and that Wu Yue is struggling with defeatism. Wu Yue’s defeatism comes from his conviction that the Trisolarans’ advanced technology will guarantee victory...
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...meeting that night. During that meeting, Zhang Beihai gives a presentation about how to spot defeatism in members of the space force and brings up the ideas of “technofetishism” and “technological...
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Pages 189-212
...continues haltingly, people in the space force will grow more and more disillusioned, and the defeatism he has worked so hard to fight against will become more entrenched. To combat that...
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Pages 261-282
...to adapt the technology for engines. Hines tells Chang Weisi that the recent uptick in defeatism is concerning to him. He explains that, by accident, his and Keiko’s research led them...
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...been lost since he quit the military, which he did because he couldn’t curb his defeatism. He says that now, he wants faith in God so he can feel peace in...
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Pages 329-354
...can’t change that belief, even now, 185 years later, that it has become clear that defeatism was misguided and humans in fact have the upper hand over Trisolarans. The council says...
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Pages 370-391
...as the space fleet tries to verify whether there are any people who advocate for defeatism or escapism in their midst. Zhang Beihai goes into a room where he can access...
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Pages 391-410
...Trisolarans’ apparent desire to negotiate, but he remains unconvinced. He says he still believes in defeatism and escapism.
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